Atlanta Falcons

NFL

September 5, 1991

QUARTERBACK CHRIS Miller has a good way to forget the four interceptions he threw in Sunday's loss to Kansas City. He can read his new 2-year contract extension, which will give him an average of $1.55 million a year through 1993. For agreeing to the extension, Miller received a signing bonus of $600,000. He was getting $650,000 as a base salary for this year under the 5-year contract signed in 1987. The extension calls for base salaries of $1.6 million in '92 and $1.8 million in '93.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

COACH GEORGE Seifert still is counting on quarterback Joe Montana to be ready for the Sept. 29 game against the Los Angeles Raiders. Montana, who has an injured right elbow, went on injured reserve Aug. 27 and will be eligible to return to practice Sept. 23. Seifert rebutted a report by back specialist Dr. Arthur White, who said Montana has a torn ligament, not tendon.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

HOLDOUT TACKLE Irv Pankey was traded to Indianapolis for a third-round pick and an undisclosed lower-round choice in next year's draft. Pankey, whose holdout lasted 50 days, approved the trade when he agreed to terms on a 3-year contract. Pankey, 33, started in nine of 11 seasons in L.A.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

D.J. DOZIER plans to change hats again, trading his Class AAA baseball cap for a Vikings helmet. Dozier, who has spent the summer playing outfield for the New York Mets' affiliate in Tidewater, Va., has left the team. The moves comes as Dozier, a running back, is demanding a trade from the Vikings.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

WHILE MORTEN Andersen was kicking for the Saints, his restaurant and bar pirated the television signal of the locally blacked-out game, the Times-Picayune reported. Bob Winston, co-owner with Andersen of Champions Restaurant and Sports Bar, would not confirm that the game was shown, but several patrons said they watched the Seahawks-Saints game there. Home games that are not sold out 72 hours before kickoff are not allowed to be telecast into the home team's television market. Five seasons ago, the Saints cracked down on pirated signals, taking 40 bars to court over the matter, but dropped claims for damages after owners agreed not to do it again.